On October 15, which for the Maltese also marks Poetry Day, the Maltese Poets Association (Għaqda Poeti Maltin) organised an evening of poetry to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the death of Dun Karm Psaila, Malta’s national poet, at the Kastell tal-Markiż, Mosta,

In a short speech to the sizeable audience at the beginning of the evening, the president of the association, Alfred Massa, said that the association could not find a better occasion to honour the memory of Dun Karm 50 years after his death.

Besides the eminent title of National Poet bestowed on him by the Gozitan poet Laurent Ropa in the 1950s, other titles were bestowed on the poet-priest, such as the Poet of Protest and the Poet of Hope.

Massa quoted Ġużè Aquilina who, in a special edition of the magazine Il-Malti (1986) said that to understand Dun Karm’s verse one should first understand the times in which he lived.

The speaker referred to what Ġużè Chetcuti wrote in a local paper on the very day of Dun Karm’s death, that the poet could not be forgotten for his poetry is too vast.

During the evening, a number of poems by Dun Karm were read; others were dedicated to him and critical comments were made on his poetry.

At intervals, various hymns, set to music by Joe Vella, were sung by the Gozitan choir Laudate Pueri .

The evening was presented by Charles Magro, secretary of the poets association.